Medical Bulletin 21/July/2023

Here are the top medical news for the day:

Specific amino acids can alter the risk of dementia associated with air pollution

Higher levels of vitamin B-related amino acids may be linked to the risk of dementia associated with a certain type of air pollutant called particulate matter, according to a study published in the online issue of Neurology. The study does not prove that pollution or amino acids cause dementia, but it suggests a possible link among them.

Researchers looked at fine particulate matter, PM2.5, which consists of pollutant particles of less than 2.5 microns in diameter suspended in the air. They also looked at two amino acids, methionine and homocysteine. Methionine is an essential amino acid found in foods such as meat, fish, dairy, beans, and eggs and is involved in normal brain functions. Homocysteine is an amino acid produced in the cells that can be transformed to methionine through a reaction that requires both vitamin B12 and folate, a nutrient important in red blood cell formation and for healthy cell growth and function.

Reference: Giulia Grande et al, Neurology

Early treatment for MS may reduce the risk of later disability.

People who start taking medication soon after the first signs of multiple sclerosis (MS),a disease in which the body’s immune system attacks myelin, may have a lower risk of disability later, according to a study published in the online issue of Neurology. For the study, researchers looked at 580 people with a first episode of symptoms, such as tingling, numbness, muscle weakness, or problems with balance, who received at least one disease-modifying drug.

Researchers divided participants into three groups: 194 people who had their first treatment with an MS drug within six months after the first episode of symptoms, 192 people who had their first treatment between six months and 16 months, and 194 people who had their first treatment after more than 16 months.

Researchers monitored people’s disability levels and brain scans for damage to the brain and spinal cord from the disease for an average of 11 years. Disability scores ranged from zero to 10, with higher scores indicating more disability.

Reference: Alvaro Cobo-Calvo, et al, Neurology

Monitoring T cells could prevent type 1 diabetes.

Scripps Research scientists have shown that analyzing a certain type of immune cell in the blood can help identify people at risk of developing type 1 diabetes, a life-threatening autoimmune disease. The new approach, if validated in further studies, could be used to select suitable patients for treatment that stops the autoimmune process—making type 1 diabetes a preventable condition.

In the study, which appeared in Science Translational Medicine, the researchers isolated T cells (a type of immune cell) from mouse and human blood samples. By analyzing the T cells that can cause type 1 diabetes, they were able to distinguish the at-risk patients who had active autoimmunity from those who had no significant autoimmunity—with 100% accuracy in a small sample.

Reference: Luc Teyton et al, Science Translational Medicine, DOI 10.1126/scitranslmed.ade3614